Bournemouth University is an international university with a growing global reputation – an anchor and catalyst of the local economy.
As well as being one of the largest employers in the region, 40% of our students come from less than 40 miles away. BU positively touches many lives in Dorset and across south and south-west England. The benefits for those who work and study here are extensive, as is the added value we provide for the wider community.
Creating impact
To demonstrate the wider benefits we bring to Dorset and the South West, Professor John Fletcher and Dr Yeganeh Morakabati published the Bournemouth University Economic Impact Study 2013 (pdf 294kb). Their findings were remarkable.
At the time of the report, BU generated more than £1 million a day in economic activity in south-west England and created almost 1,400 full-time equivalent jobs. Our students, and their visiting friends and family, spent £128 million across the region during the same period, and our staff spent £54 million: half of the money spent by staff goes directly into Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. And, for every seven students at BU, one full-time job is supported across the South West. Finally, as well as spending money in the local economy, our students raise around £200,000 each year for local charities and dedicate thousands of hours to volunteering each year.
Regional economic development in Dorset
Understanding the health of the Dorset economy and its hinterland is important to BU and its local business and other partners. As part of BU’s Regional Engagement Strategy, Professor Nigel F Jump produces a series of Business Intelligence Reports (BIR) and Local Economic (LEB) and Local Sector Briefings (LSB). These reports provide insight into the latest trends in Dorset’s economy and how it sits in relation to its regional neighbours and the rest of the UK. The briefings are a growing repository of knowledge that allow all those interested in the local economy to explore trends and structures and to consider Dorset’s evolving economic strengths and weaknesses.
The Spring 2018 issue of the BIR (Business Intelligence Report Spring 2018) (pdf 195kb) considers the recent loss of momentum in economic growth.